


A little kidnapping

by Melacka



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 13:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15752544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melacka/pseuds/Melacka
Summary: Samar visited Liz as often as she could once she woke up from her coma. Worried by how withdrawn she has become, Samar hatches a plan to break her out of there.After all, what's a little kidnapping between friends?





	A little kidnapping

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whimsicalwombat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsicalwombat/gifts).



> A Liz-ship neutral, Samar focussed genfic with background Saram for whimsicalwombat. Hope this meets with your approval!

Samar had been visiting Liz regularly at the clinic. She'd gone sporadically when she was in a coma but then as often as she could once she was awake. She went alone or with Aram. She'd bring food or flowers or books. She'd talk about work, or movies, or Agnes. But nothing seemed to help. Liz smiled at her, thanked her for coming and carefully ate the food put in front of her, but Samar felt like she was just going through the motions. It was like the Liz she'd known was barely there at all in this slowly healing body.

Samar didn't say anything at first. She knew Liz liked to guard her privacy when she could, especially now that so little remained to her. Eventually, though, she knew she'd have to do something. Liz was a fighter, to be sure, but she'd been fighting so many battles for so long, Samar didn't know how long she could keep it up before she just crumbled entirely.

What finally made Samar's mind up, though, was the day that she happened to go visit Liz moments after she returned from a rehab session. Samar found her sitting in a wheelchair, restlessly drumming her fingers against the armrest. Liz turned her head sharply when Samar cleared her throat and blinked her eyes rapidly to clear the tears away.

“Liz?” Samar said gently.

“Hey,” she replied, turning her face back to the window. “I didn't expect to see you today.”

Samar paused uncertainly.

“Would you rather I leave?”

“No!" Liz said quickly. “I mean, I'm glad you're here.” She turned to look at Samar and smiled with an obvious effort. “I'm just tired, that's all.”

Samar wasn't convinced but decided to let it slide. What could be gained from arguing the point, after all? She moved to the only chair in the room and sat down, facing Liz with a considering look.

“How's the rehab going?”

Liz huffed a laugh but didn't look at her.

“I can almost feed myself without getting it everywhere,” she said with false cheer. “I can't stand up or dress myself without help but I'm getting there.”

“That's great,” Samar said sincerely.

“Yeah, we're all very proud,” Liz said bitterly. She turned a wretched look on Samar and whispered, “I just hate being so _weak_.”

“Liz, this isn't weakness—”

“Then what is it?” she burst out. “I can't do anything—”

“Right now,” Samar said quickly. “You can't do much _right now,_ but you will get through this. You've survived so much, Elizabeth. This will not be what defeats you. Your body needs time to heal, but it's not a sign of weakness. This is your strength, Liz. The way you fight, the way you persevere, these are your _strength_.”

“I want to believe you.”

Tears were streaming unchecked down Liz's face and Samar leaned forward to grasp her cold hand.

“Liz, you're the strongest woman I know. Don't let this destroy you.”

Liz squeezed Samar's hand and they both pretended not to notice how weak her grip was.

“Thank you,” Liz said, obviously embarrassed. “I'm sorry you've found me in such a terrible mood.” Samar tried to demur, but Liz waved her protest away weakly. “You don't deserve how I've been treating you and I'm sorry for that. I just want to get out of here. This place,” she looked around the room in despair, “I hate this place.”

Samar didn't blame her, really. This room was pleasant, as far as hospital rooms went, but hospitals in general were dreary places. You could never get away from what you were suffering from. Illness and recovery were everywhere you looked, no wonder Liz was frustrated and withdrawn. If only she could get out, even for a little while.

“So, tell me about you,” Liz said. “What's new?”

Samar continued to chat quite cheerfully, carefully keeping to subjects that were unlikely to cause any unnecessary upset, but the beginnings of an idea was dancing through her mind. If only Liz could get out...

* * * * *

First, she needed to talk to Aram. She knew that he would fall in eagerly with the plan once she'd explained her reasoning and he would be able to assist with the technicalities.

She broached the subject with him that night over dinner. She briefly considered easing in to the conversation but decided to just go for it.

“What do you think about breaking Liz out of the clinic?” she said suddenly and smiled fondly at the look of shock on his face. “Just for a few hours.”

“Uh—”

“She needs to get out of there,” Samar continued seriously. “That place will suck out what little life is left in her.”

Aram looked down at his half-finished plate of food and sighed. She pushed her advantage.

“I'm not suggesting that we remove her permanently,” she said quietly, threading her fingers through his. “Not before she's ready. I just think that we could all benefit from some time together. Remind her why she needs to keep fighting.”

Aram looked at her searchingly, but he still didn't speak.

“She needs to know that she still has people in her life, people who care what happens to her.”

Aram nodded slowly before he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it gently before he finally spoke.

“You're right. We should do something for her.”

Samar smiled in triumph. Aram smiled back, a little nervously. He never knew quite what to expect when she got that look on her face.

“What did you have in mind?”

* * * * *

The next day, Samar called Reddington.

“Agent Navabi! What a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you on this fine day?”

Reddington's voice had the cheerful artificiality that told her he was with other people. Samar sometimes wondered just how many personalities lurked beneath the surface of the charming façade, ready to be called upon at will.

“I wanted to talk to you about Liz.”

“Oh?” Red said more seriously, his interest obviously piqued. “Is something wrong?”

“No more than usual,” she said calmly. “I wanted to arrange an outing.”

“An outing?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “Well, more like a kidnapping.”

“Samar, you absolutely intrigue me,” he chuckled. “Is there a particular reason why you want to kidnap Elizabeth? And why you think I would assist you in this endeavour?”

His tone was perfectly pleasant, but Samar could hear the warning in it.

“Liz isn't coping,” Samar said bluntly. “I want to give her a taste of the life she used to have. Give her something to aim for.”

“And the kidnapping?”

“You've shown yourself willing to engage in a little friendly kidnapping where Liz is concerned, I thought it best to consult someone with experience.”

“Touché.”

“Besides, Liz could refuse to come along if she's having a bad day—”

“Shouldn't she have the right of refusal?”

“Of course. If she decides that she'd rather go back to the clinic than have a drink with us then we will respect that, but I don't think she will. Once she's out of that horrible place, I think she'll start to feel more like herself.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment but then he chuckled, and Samar knew that she'd won.

“You are a remarkable woman,” he said eventually. “What do you need from me?”

* * * * *

Three days later, everything was in place. Aram had hacked into the clinic's security system, Reddington was getting ready to stage a very agitated, prolonged argument with the staff, and Ressler was waiting in a car near the back entrance. Samar smiled as she adjusted her ear-piece. This was going to be fun.

“Is everybody ready?” she said as she approached the main entrance. A chorus of agreement came through. “Good. Aram, disrupt the feed now. Ressler, five minutes. Reddington, do your worst.”

A snort came through the ear-piece that she was sure came from Ressler. She ignored it and walked calmly into the building, treading the familiar path to Liz's room quickly. She could hear Reddington complaining loudly about the quality of the facilities from somewhere down the hall and smirked.

“Aram, I'm about to enter Liz's room.”

“I've got you, all clear,” Aram said. “No one else is nearby.”

She looked directly into the nearest security camera and smiled. Then she knocked quietly before entering the room. Liz was sitting facing the window again and turned listlessly to look at who was entering. A smile brightened her face briefly, but it quickly gave way to confusion when she took in Samar's businesslike stance and serious face.

“Samar?”

“Elizabeth Keen,” Samar said sternly. “You're going to have to come with me.”

“What?” Liz said, obviously confused.

“Quickly now, we don't have much time.”

Samar stepped forward and took hold of the handles of the wheelchair. Luckily Liz was already dressed, so she didn't have to worry about that. She grabbed a warm-looking blanket off a nearby table and draped it over her knees. She knew that Liz had been feeling the cold a lot more than she used to.

Samar raised her wrist to her face and whispered, “Target acquired. Proceed to phase two.”

“Target acquired? What the hell?”

“Quiet,” Samar hissed.

“Copy that,” Ressler said. “Standing by.”

“Samar,” Liz said uncertainly.

“You have a clear run to the back exit,” Aram said confidently. “Go right when you exit the room and head to the stairs at the end of the corridor. Go down to the bottom and out the fire exit. I'll disable the alarm, Ressler is just outside there.”

“Got it.”

“Ready?” Aram paused dramatically. “Go!"

Samar opened the door and hastily checked both directions, even though she knew that the was no-one there. Satisfied, she wheeled Liz out into the corridor and towards the stairs. She could hear Reddington still arguing somewhere in the opposite direction and she smiled to herself.

“Samar, this is insane. What are you doing?”

“We're just going for a bit of a drive, nothing for you to worry about.”

“You're heading for the stairs?”

“Yes.”

“And how am I going to get down the stairs? I can't even stand up on my own!" Liz cried in frustration.

“Liz, I'm going to need you to trust me,” Samar replied calmly. “I know what I'm doing.”

Liz huffed a sigh but didn't offer any other objection. They made it to the stairs without any problems and Samar pulled open the door. Dembe stood smiling at the head of the stairs.

“Hello, Elizabeth. Agent Navabi.”

“See, Liz? Under control.”

Liz looked from one to the other and looked to be fighting back tears.

“Okay,” she said unsteadily. “I'm ready.”

Dembe stepped forward and gently lifted Liz into his arms. Samar threw the discarded blanket over her shoulder and folded up the wheelchair quickly. She looked to see that Dembe was holding her quite comfortably and Liz had rested her head against his shoulder. Smiling, Samar led the way down the stairs and through the fire exit, Aram's voice guiding her along the way.

As soon as they left the building, Ressler got out of the car parked nearby and popped the trunk. He took the wheelchair from Samar and stored it safely, nodding a greeting at all three as he did so. Samar opened the back door and Dembe placed Liz gently on the seat.

“Phase two complete,” Samar said. “Everyone proceed to the rendezvous point.”

She climbed into the front passenger seat and Ressler got into the driver's seat. Dembe helped Liz with her seatbelt and smiled reassuringly at her.

“I will see you soon, Elizabeth.”

* * * * *

Samar had decided that a neutral place would be most appropriate. She didn't want to remind Liz of what she'd lost, no more than strictly necessary, anyway. She spoke to Reddington who had suggested a restaurant not far from the clinic. He'd spoken to the owner and booked it out for the afternoon, so they wouldn't be disturbed. Food had been prepared and left for them and there was a well-stocked bar. There were no stairs to worry about and a beautiful terrace that they could sit on if they wanted. Overall, Samar was pretty pleased with how her scheme had worked out.

When they arrived at the restaurant, she got the wheelchair out and Ressler helped get Liz settled into it. Samar draped the blanket over Liz's legs again and she smiled gratefully up at her.

“Are you going to tell me what this is about now?” Liz asked playfully. “Or am I just here to look pretty?”

“You're here to relax,” Samar said, leading the way to the entrance. “If you can relax and look pretty at the same time, please feel free.”

Liz laughed, and Samar felt a flush of happiness spread through her. It had been so long since she'd heard a genuine laugh from Liz.

She held the door open for them to pass through and she followed, glancing around to see that everything was as it should be. Reddington had certainly chosen a beautiful place, she'd give him that. Cooper stood next to Aram in the centre of the room, who was practically vibrating with excitement. He beamed at them all as they entered, and Samar didn't think she'd ever loved him more than in that moment. He rushed over to Liz but seemed at a loss as to what to do next.

Liz smiled up at him and held her arms open in welcome.

“How about a hug?”

Aram knelt down in front of her and wrapped his arms gently around her.

“I'm glad you're here, Liz.”

“I'm glad, too.”

Aram released her and stepped back to allow Cooper a chance to say hello. Cooper looked at Liz with a fond smile and kissed the top of her head.

“Welcome, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you,” Liz whispered, seemingly unable to manage anything more.

“Let's get you settled in,” Ressler said brusquely. “I don't know about you, but all this intrigue makes me hungry.”

Samar looked at the huge table full of food. There was easily enough there for twenty people.

“Do you think it'll be enough?” she said dryly.

“We can always send out for some pizza if we run out,” Liz joked.

* * * * *

Samar was very happy. She'd had the pleasure of watching Liz eat a small meal and actually hold a conversation with the others. She wasn't just passively listening but engaging with them. Reddington had shown up about an hour into their meal with Dembe and Agnes.

“Mama!" Agnes cried out excitedly.

“Hi baby,” Liz said quietly.

Agnes rushed forward, dragging Reddington determinedly along until she reached Liz.

“Good afternoon, Elizabeth,” he said, smiling broadly at her. He lifted Agnes gently onto her lap and the little girl snuggled against her contentedly.

Liz smiled and brought her arms up to hug her gently.

After that, Liz was completely taken up by Agnes' chatter. She talked non-stop about her favourite book and how uncle Dembe took her to the park and uncle Aram baked cupcakes with her and how she went to the zoo and a hundred other things. Liz just sat staring at her, a look almost akin to wonder on her face, occasionally stroking her cheek or smoothing her hair. Agnes eventually grew tired and just rested her head against Liz's chest.

Samar met Liz's eyes from across the room and they smiled at each other.

_Thank you_ , Liz mouthed.

Samar nodded. Oh yes, she was very pleased.

* * * * *

Months later, Samar sat in her hospital bed glaring at the doctor. He wouldn't let her leave even though she was perfectly fine. Aram hadn't arrived yet and she was nearly at the end of her patience.

Just as she was about to tell the doctor just where he could shove his treatment plan, Liz walked into the room.

“Samar Navabi?” she said, flashing her badge. “You're going to have to come with me.”

Samar grinned.

 


End file.
